Agency Blog

The Vital Stats of Online Healthcare Reviews

For brands and businesses, the Internet is a double-edged sword. Yes, awareness of what goods and services are available to prospective customers is far-reaching. But then there is the reality of customer feedback – reviews. And out of every professional field, the importance of Google reviews for the healthcare industry are magnified many times over in contrast to other professions.

The power of online healthcare reviews

Online reviews have become reference points for buyers. They put so much trust in a good review. The difference between a 3 star rating and 4.7 star rating is exponential.

How to handle a negative healthcare review

When a healthcare organization is proactive and addresses an online healthcare review that’s negative, patient satisfaction is doubled. The situation can be reversed and turned into a positive. But how to do this? Below are steps to take:

Promptly answer the review and responding within the first 24 hours.

Keep the reply brief but professional, addressing the concerns mentioned in the review.

Offer to reach out offline to the patient who complained.

Maintain best practices and stay HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliant, by not listing any personal health information or care details in the response.

This will keep a negative healthcare review from spinning out of hand and increase customer satisfaction at the same time.

How to earn high star ratings in Google

It is every business’ dream to have the highest possible online ratings. One of many informative lists from ThriveHive, a Google My Business Knowledge Center, includes tips on achieving five-star ratings.

Remember the adage: “There’s only one chance to make a good first impression. Make a “five-star first impression” to every prospective customer (or patient) from their first interaction.

Ask existing clients to write a review. If a healthcare organization has been transparent and honest, and provided a good experience, this is a nice quid-pro-quo.

Offer clients URLs of the facility’s profile and any relevant information that will help clients in writing reviews.

Reviews should be a priority. This ties in with the points mentioned earlier about answering any negative feedback immediately and directly.

Getting a rating of good health

As stated, there is probably nothing more important to a person than their health, which makes healthcare a more-than-serious industry. And what others think of a particular facility is equally serious. Proper curation and prompt attention to customer concerns online will help any healthcare organization’s online reputation match its professional standards. And this will increase rankings and ratings in Google.